MY FRIEND MY RIVAL
1169 Words
The laughter in the living room was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door
"Who is there" David asked loudly
" I am looking for Ethan, Is he here?" The voice asked
"Yes, I'm here" Ethan answered while he stood up and stepped out to see who is looking for him.
"Let's go and play football, just for stretching" Louis suggested to David
"Okay let's go"Sis we are just behind the compound"
Immediately the left Isabella received a text from Rose (her friend) "Come over to my place, it's boring alone"
She smiled at the childishness in the text and headed to her room to get dressed
Outside the building Ethan was sitted close to the girl that came looking for him- They were discussing what's best known to them then Isabella walked passed them glancing around obviously searching for David when her eyes met Ethan's.
For a second, the whole place felt still but she managed to maintain her composure but she saw it- Ethan slightly adjusted from the girl he was with while staring at her
"I'm going to a friend's house, tell David about it" She told Ethan and walked away.
On her way she kept reflecting back on what she saw- The way he shifted from the girl the moment he saw her, he looked at eye with those eyes seem to be scared that she might have seen them but the more she thought about it the more confused she gets.
"Pull yourself together, he is still in love with someone else"
"Just maintain the friendship" She mumbled to herself
It's been two hours since Isabella left the house
Ethan was sitted on the couch in David's room, Looking steadily at the ceiling and was lost in his own thoughts- How did she feel when she saw us? I don't want to hurt her," I have f****d up big time.
He kept thinking when a sudden knock jolted him out of his thoughts
He went to get the door
" You are back, Isabella" he spoke softly
"Yeah, I am"
"Come in too" she spoke to Rose who came home with her
Rose walked in majestically, carefully scanning the room "Hey" she greeted Ethan
"Hi" he greeted back
"Is She your friend" He asked Isabella
"Yeah, Is David not done playing football? she asked
"They are all lost in the match" Ethan answered
All the while Rose eyes never left Ethan- She gazed at him with a smirk on her face
Isabella turned to Rose and saw the look on her face but she ignored it- "This is Ethan, my brother's infact he is my brother now, She introduced him and smiled
Rose shifted closer to Ethan on the couch, crossing her legs comfortably as she smiled at him.
“So,” she began lightly, “Isabella says you’re basically family here.”
Ethan leaned back casually. “At this point, I practically pay rent.”
Isabella rolled her eyes immediately. “Please don’t encourage yourself.”
Rose laughed softly, her attention still mostly on Ethan.
“I can actually see why David likes you,” she said. “You’re easy to talk to.”
“Thank you,” Ethan replied with a grin. “Finally, someone appreciates me in this house.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Isabella muttered.
Rose shook her head dramatically. “Wow. She’s so mean to you.”
“That’s because she enjoys stressing me,” Ethan answered before Isabella could speak.
Isabella stared at him. “Me? Stressing you?”
“Yes,” Ethan replied confidently. “You and your brother are the same.”
Rose laughed again, “I already know David is stressful,"
Isabella quietly watched the two of them talk, forcing herself to stay relaxed even though Rose’s attention toward Ethan was becoming painfully obvious.
Rose kept leaning closer whenever she spoke.
Kept laughing a little too hard at his jokes, Kept trying to hold his attention.
Meanwhile Ethan, completely unaware or pretending not to notice, continued responding casually.
Then Rose suddenly tilted her head curiously. “Wait… if you’re always here, how come I’ve never met you before?”
Ethan shrugged lightly. “Timing, I guess.”
“Or maybe you just avoided meeting her,” Isabella joked casually.
Rose pointed at her dramatically. “See? Your friend is already exposing you.”
“Friend?” Ethan repeated with amusement. “Wow. I thought I was family.”
“You were demoted,” Isabella replied instantly.
Rose burst into laughter again while Ethan shook his head with a smile.
And somehow, despite the teasing and conversation flowing easily between the three of them, Isabella still couldn’t ignore the small uncomfortable feeling sitting in her chest every time Rose looked at Ethan for too long.
"Let's go to the living room" Ethan suggested
"Okay Sure" the girls answered together and laughed
Not long after, loud footsteps and laughter echoed from outside before the front door suddenly pushed open.
David and the others finally came in, sweaty from football and still arguing over the game.
“I’m telling you that was a foul!”
“It was not!”
“Your eyesight is the problem!”
Their voices filled the house immediately, making the quiet atmosphere disappear.
David stopped the moment he noticed Rose sitting in the living room.
“Well, look who decided to come around,” he said with a grin.
Rose smiled back casually. “I was bored.”
“Liar,” Isabella muttered under her breath, earning herself a glare from Rose.
The boys greeted her warmly before throwing themselves onto couches and chairs, still laughing and teasing one another.
Soon, the entire living room became lively again.
Louis started exaggerating stories from the football match while Ethan defended himself dramatically after being blamed for missing an easy goal.
“I slipped!”
“You missed,” David corrected immediately.
“It was the ground’s fault.” David added
Everyone burst into laughter.
Even Rose joined comfortably now, occasionally teasing the boys while Isabella sat quietly enjoying how naturally everyone blended together.
Isabella gazed from Ethan to David and smiled
The easy brotherhood between them was obvious.
Time passed quickly with conversations moving from football to music, random school drama, and embarrassing old stories.
Eventually, Rose glanced at the time on her phone and sighed softly.
“I should probably head home before my mother starts calling.”
Isabella immediately stood up. “We’ll escort you.”
We?! Rose and the others said together
“Yes, we,” Isabella replied dramatically.
"You all should better come with me"
"Let's go, Isabella cannot come back alone" Ethan agreed
This neighborhood is dangerous
“You are the danger in this neighborhood,” Isabella shot back.
Still joking among themselves, they all slowly stood up to leave.
"I won't go with you guys, I have something to sort out" Louis said feeling sorry
"Take care man" They boys exchanged handshakes and left.
- Writer
